Suggested website:

Suggested Zen Books:

Now in a 35th Anniversary edition, The Three Pillars of Zen is generally regarded as the "classic" introduction to Zen Buddhism, and along with Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, has probably helped more westerners begin Zen practice than any other book.

Warner, an early-'80s hardcore punk musician, discovered Zen in college, moved to Japan to make B-grade monster movies, and eventually became a bona fide Zen master by formally receiving "dharma transmission." Yet true to his punk spirit, he relentlessly demands that all teaching, all beliefs, all authority-including his own-must be questioned. ("Why should you listen to me? Who the hell am I?... No one. No one at all.")

A respected Zen master in Japan and founder of the San Francisco Zen Center, Shunryu Suzuki has blazed a path in American Buddhism like few others. He is the master who climbs down from the pages of the koan books and answers your questions face to face. If not face to face, you can at least find the answers as recorded in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, a transcription of juicy excerpts from his lectures.

The Compass of Zen is a simple, clear, and often hilarious presentation of the essential teachings of the main Buddhist traditions--culminating in Zen--by one of the most beloved Zen Masters of our time. In his many years of teaching throughout the world, Zen Master Seung Sahn has become known for his unique ability to cut to the heart of Buddhist teaching in a way that is strikingly clear, without relying upon esoteric or academic language. In this book, based on his talks, he presents the basic teachings of Buddhism in a way that is wonderfully rich and accessible for both beginners and long-time students.

Nothing Special : Living Zen, by Charlotte J. Beck
"Joko Beck speaks from the timeless and the perennial, so her metaphors of ordinary things and everyday incidents illumine my mundane life. Nothing Special is Zen alive and how to live it." Robert Aitken, author of Taking the Path of Zen

Not Always So : Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, by Shunryu Suzuki
If you can imagine Zen Existentialism, Not Always So is it. Part instruction manual for Zen practice and part philosophical meditation, Shunryu Suzuki's teachings emphasize being-in-the-world. He does not point toward a singular enlightenment-event as a burst into higher consciousness. Rather, he suggests a more experiential enlightenment that finds meaning in a full awareness of the present. For example: "If you go to the rest room, there is a chance for enlightenment. When you cook, there is a chance for enlightenment. When you clean the floor, there is a chance to attain enlightenment."

Links

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Zen gardens provide sense of calm to backyards

Zen gardens are not planned and maintained for the beauty of flowers, says Gordon Nesbitt, nursery manager at Laurel Oak Garden Center in Marlton. “You’ll use rocks, water, architectural elements like gates and lanterns and trees that are manicured,” he said.

“You’ll see more use of symbols than flowers, and trees that have a special message in Asian architecture. There may be a dogwood or a cherry tree, something flowering. It’s all about setting a tone,” Nesbitt said. “Everything is kept in check because the elements help to keep our thoughts simple and to the point.”

Six Zen Koans from Kanye West's GQ Interview

[discussing being chased by the paparazzi] "I don't have fangs. I'm a porcupine. I'm a blowfish. Like, I'm a—what's the fish that blows up?"[discussing performing impromptu carpentry at his wedding] "Anyone knows that you cannot pick up tools yourself, because of—what are those rules about the workers?... Yeah, unions. You can't do that. It's illegal. That's false."[discussing why he married Kim Kardashian] " Like they said in Step Brothers: Never lose your dinosaur. This is the ultimate example of a person never losing his dinosaur."Click the above link if you can stand more.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Most of us don’t realize to what extent our minds are on constant overdrive. The mind produces thought after thought after thought, which we often think of as multitasking. However, it’s just monkey mind.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

I have been building meditation pyramids for about twenty years now. It started with an experiment in my Brooklyn, New York apartment with copper wire hanging from the ceiling and pinned to the floor at the proper angles. In this makeshift pyramid I had my first out of body experience.

I had read about them in a book, and started playing around with the wires, and noticed a real change in the energy of my meditation. There was something about the space that it created that was special, though I could not pin it down at the time.

I built various types over the years, including some pretty large ones with all the sides in place out of one-inch copper pipes. In the last several years I refined my design to be collapsible and so portable. You can pull it out and set it up in seconds. I posted the design on my blog as a do-it-yourself meditation pyramid. A year ago, I was asked to build one for someone who didn't feel up to it. I used an Etsy shop to make the purchase official.

Copper meditation pyramids offer a sacred space that limits (if not shutting out altogether) invasive thought forms and negative energy, regardless of its source. It drives us deeper into ourselves. After all, pyre and mid (fire in the middle) says it all. It helps us commune with source.

If you want to build your own, visit my website at meditationpyramids.info or take a look at my Etsy offerings, by checking out any of the designs below: